Nonlinear buckling analysis of 2-D cold-formed steel simple cross-aisle storage rack frames

• Non linear analysis of frames of cold-formed steel pallet rack structures.
• Use of Static Riks method in ABAQUS for nonlinear analysis.
• Comparison of buckling loads of frames cold-formed steel pallet rack structures with and without stiffeners.
• Results shows stiffeners are very effective in enhancing the strength of cold-formed steel pallet rack frames.

Industrial storage racks are among the most important structures made from cold-formed steel sections. They are widely used due to the increasing need for rational space utilization in warehouses, and other facilities used to store goods. Pallet rack is a material handling, storage aid system designed to store materials on pallets. Although there are many varieties of pallet racking, all types allow for the storage of palletized materials in horizontal rows with multiple levels. Rack systems are widely used in warehouses where they are loaded with valuable goods. The cold-formed steel columns usually have open cross-sections and are thin walled, making them vulnerable to torsional-flexural buckling and local buckling. The loss of goods may be greater than the total cost of the rack on which the goods are stored, which can indirectly affect the owner. Therefore, understanding the stability of rack structures is very important. This paper deals with numerical linear and nonlinear buckling analysis of 2-D cold-formed steel simple cross-aisle storage rack frames. The main focus of the study is to ascertain the stability of 2-D frames of a pallet racking system. With this objective, a pallet racking system with cold-formed steel sections is simulated by three-dimensional models using shell elements in ABAQUS, a general purpose finite element analysis software. Linear and nonlinear buckling analyses are carried out on these frames. Results are obtained from finite element analysis of frames with 12 types of column sections. Spacer bars and channel stiffeners are used to improve the torsional strength of original open cross sections. Results show that spacer bars and channel stiffeners are very effective in enhancing the strength of cold-formed steel pallet rack structures.